This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/089,321 that was filed Dec. 9, 2014 by Kenneth Ochenkowski, which was entitled “Motorcycle Lift,” and which is also incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure is directed to a device for lifting heavy objects into the bed of a truck. Specifically, the disclosure describes a motorcycle lift configured to deploy from the bed of a pick-up truck.
The need exists for a stable, easy-to-use lifting system to facilitate the lifting and moving of heavy objects, such as a motorcycle, by a single individual, and which may be installed in a vehicle.
Trucks have been equipped with lifting tail gates, which essentially serve as a vertical elevator that is raised or lowered in the course of moving an object between the cargo space of the truck and ground level. Such elevator devices typically employ hydraulic cylinders for supporting the load carrying assembly for vertical movement. The elevator lift is best incorporated into the truck during manufacture. The elevator lift is difficult and expensive to add as an aftermarket accessory, if the existing vehicle was not originally equipped with the elevator lift.
Trucks with open beds have been equipped with crane-like hoists with a rotatable base and a boom that is pivotally mounted on the base for swinging movement. A winch located on the base or an adjacent part of the boom includes a cable or belt that extends along the boom and passes over a pulley at the end of the boom. This style of crane-like equipment usually encroaches on the cargo space. It must be relatively heavy and tends to be expensive. The boom is typically relatively long in order to effectively handle loading and unloading objects. The crane apparatus is not adapted for use with vehicles such as vans having closed tops over cargo spaces provided with relatively restricted clearance for loads at one end. The cable or belt on this apparatus is free to swing and sway once the load is lifted from the ground. A load that is unrestrained from freely swinging or swaying can be dangerous.
The previously designed lift systems have included flexible, non-rigid cable or belt lifting elements that allows for the object being loaded to sway and otherwise move relative to the lift structure. The non-rigid characteristics of these systems creates the potential for the object being lifted to shift and otherwise tip and even topple over. This design weakness can be more evident on hills and other non-level terrain. The free swinging lift systems are not capable of preventing the sway of the object on the lift base once the lift base has been lifted from the ground.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a mechanism which is attached to the vehicle to load and unload objects from the cargo bed. It is desirable for the lift mechanism to remain rigid and prevent the object being lifted from swaying or tilting. It is further desirable that the loading and unloading apparatus be easily removable from the vehicle by the user.